the 72 bulletin
My Medical School Elective During the COVID-19 Pandemic Hanad Ahmed Dr Pierce bestowing his wisdom by way of humour, and the final episode in the anaesthetic room
A
plan was made, an application approved, a bursary secured from the SCTS for travel to Toronto ... then COVID-19 happened. The shortfalls of not experiencing an international elective are abundant I am sure, but this article focuses on the tremendous reception and experience I gained during my domestic 3-month clinical elective at University Hospital Southampton. Like many students, I decided to take the remaining option of completing my clinical elective at my home institution. It was supposed to be a 6-week elective that furthers my interests in the specialty and fulfils the medical school requirement; instead, it turned into a 3-month rollercoaster in cardiothoracic surgery where I breathed, dreamed, and immersed in cardiothoracics. From witnessing lifesaving emergency interventions in neonates to assisting in major trauma cases. It is safe to say that I found my calling and this piece will outline a fraction
of my experiences and reflections in each of the subspecialties.
Adult Thoracic Surgery I spent the first part of my elective with my longstanding undergraduate supervisor, Mr Aiman Alzetani. This block provided an understanding of the complete responsibilities of a surgeonfrom operating, to teaching, managing, and conducting research. I was keen on emulating each of these domains and was given the opportunity to do so. I got uninterrupted time in theatre, starting with the basics of learning to make incisions, inserting ports for VATS, before progressing to closing port sites and being a regular first assistant. When I didn’t have theatre days, I spent my time running surgical skills courses for the junior medical students rotating through cardiothoracic surgery. I discovered the fulfilling nature of passing on skills that I only recently acquired.
This experience kickstarted my drive to teach and gave me an appreciation for why it is such an important area of a clinician’s role. I was fortunate enough to be involved in cases where new techniques and technology was being applied. I found myself engrossed in understanding and writing up these cases after long days in theatre and did so with the realisation that this was likely the spirit through which legends and long-term inspirations such as Professor Michael DeBakey, Professor Sir Magdi Yacoub and Mr Marian Ionescu innovated in the specialty. A spirit that drives me to continue to carry on discovering interests through research and pursue my dream of following in the footsteps of these giants. The thoracic block laid solid foundations for the rest of my elective and propelled me into the world of Cardiac surgery with Mr Clifford Barlow.
Adult Cardiac Surgery My time with Mr Barlow and the wider team in cardiac surgery romanticised my interests in the specialty. The vividness of dynamic red flowing through plastic tubes, to the gentle manoeuvres performed by size 8 hands. The entire process of watching valve and coronary surgery was a spectacle. The orchestra between the surgeon, registrar, anaesthetist, perfusionists, scrub nurse and theatre staff was an exemplification of teamwork and surgical leadership. I stood there in awe watching technically challenging tasks being performed with such composure and occasionally a sense of Dutch humour. Despite the amazing exposure to the technical and clinical aspects of the surgery, what I learnt from Mr Barlow was that to become an extraordinary surgeon, you must do more than just being able to execute the operations.
